MARTA urges top state leaders to call special session of General Assembly
The Georgia General Assembly just wrapped up its 40 day 2009 session on Friday but the MARTA Board of Directors on Monday asked Gov. Sonny Perdue, Lt. Gov. Casey Cagle, and Speaker of the House Glenn Richardson (R-Hiram) to bring lawmakers back for a special session.
Why a special session? Because state lawmakers once again failed to pass any legislation for transportation funding. But more importantly, they failed to pass SB 120, a bill that would have lifted a state restriction on how MARTA is allowed to spend its money.
Under current law, MARTA has to spend half of its money on capital expenses, which means the system cannot access the $65 million it has in reserve. Most of the system’s funding comes from a sales tax levied in Fulton and DeKalb Counties. MARTA wants access to its reserve in order to make up for a large gap in its operating budget that has come from falling sales tax revenue.
“I can’t emphasize enough how critical it is that MARTA be allowed flexibility to use its reserve account to fund operation of the system. I commit to you that the MARTA Board is looking for all ways to cut expenses and run this system as efficiently and effectively as possible,” MARTA Board Chairman Michael Walls said in a press release. “We implore the state to please reconsider this issue so that during this difficult economic time we can keep this essential transportation service running, which acts as a lifeline for so many people.”
On April 28, MARTA officials will present a Fiscal Year 2010 budget proposal to the board of directors. From MARTA:
At this time, MARTA officials say proposed recommendations will include internal productivity/cost containment measures of mandatory 2-week (10-day) furloughs for non-represented staff, deferral of merit-based increases for non-represented employees, increasing the healthcare contributions of non-represented employees from 8 percent to 15 percent, and, reducing ‘other than personnel’ expenses such as advertising and travel.
MARTA officials have identified for its board’s consideration some $288 million of the $442 million that is needed to fill the budget gap through fiscal year 2012. Due to the severe downturn in the economy and declining sales tax receipts, notwithstanding implementation of recommended cost containment measures, the authority is facing a $24 million budget shortfall in its FY 2010 operating budget.
Proposed cost-cutting measures include:
- a fare increase
- a long-term parking fee hike
- elimination of all unproductive bus service
- cancellation of some special events service
- overhauling duplicative, overlapping service routes
- adjusting rail service headway and hours of service
- adjusting MARTA’s Mobility service consistent with changes to bus and rail.
“Without the ability to access the capital funds, we will be forced to make such drastic cuts that greatly impact the economic vitality and quality of life in our region and state,” Walls said. “Without access to this funding, we will essentially sever a critical economic engine in our state and no doubt send our economy into an even greater hole. MARTA is simply requesting access to funding that already exists within our capital budget in order to maintain a reasonable level of service that will get us through the economic tsunami we have all had to deal with.”